Method of producing cellulose films for photographic or other purposes.



No. 6345a; Patented Oct. |o,'|a99.

- 4. c. CHURLEY. IETHOD 0F PRODUCING GELLULOSE FILMS FOR PHOTGGRAPHlC OROTHER PURPOSESQ (Application filed Mar. 21, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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v A T TORNE Y8 m: mm: mass ca. moron-ma. WASHINGYO'L u. c.

- UNITED STATES PATENT :OFFICE.

JOHN CHRISTMAS GHO RLEY, OF WARRINGTON', ENGLAND.

METHOD OF PRODUClNG CELLULOSE FILMS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC OR OTHER PURPO SES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,571, dated October10,1899.

Application filed March 21, 1299. Serial No. 709,944. (No specimens.)

To all whmn may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN CHRISTMAS Onon- LEY, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain, 7,

residing atLodge Lane, Bewsey, Warringtoh, in thecounty of Lancaster,England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Methodof Producing Cellulose Films for Photographic or other Purposes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the method of producingcellulose films for photographic and other purposes; and the chiefobject of my invention is to enable the films to be produced in a' sheetor web of any length desired and byacontinuous operation. In carryingout my invention I employ a machine such as that illustrated inlongitudinal sectional elevation on the accompanying sheet of drawings,andI employ cellulose sulfocarbonate dissolved in water, which is knownas viscose, and is prepared as described in the specification to EnglishLetters Patent numbered 8,700, and dated May 7, 1892. This solution isof suitable strength and is contained in a tank or hopper 2, which,

is placed at a convenient height above the machine and is controlled byatap 3 for regulating the quantity of viscose allowed to fall upon asuitably-shaped perforated dropper plate or trough 4, through theperforations in which the viscose passes onto the surface of a heatedcylinder 5. I employ two adjustable plates 6, carried by the frame, onlyone of which is shown. These plates regulate the width of the viscose onthe cylinder 5, which is heated by means of steam admitted through itshollow axle inthe ordinary manner well understood. The cylinder 5 isi-nclosedin a casing 7 and is slowly rotated by any suitabledriving-gear (not shown) in the direction indicated by the arrows.

The viscose delivered through the perforated dropper-plate 4 is spreadevenly and uniformly upon the surface of the heated cylinder5 by meansof a doctor-blade 8, mounted and arranged so as to be adjusted to andfrom the cylinder by means of a worm-wheel 9 and worm 10, mounted upon ashaft 10*, turned by a handle. (Not shown.) vAs the heated cylinder 5 isslowly rotated it carries forward the thin layer of viscose, which israpidly dried by a current of hot air drawn through the pipe 11 by a fanfrom a suitable heater and traveling preferably, as indicated by thearrows, in the opposite direction to that in which the cylinder isrotating until finally conducted away through the discharge-pipe 12.-The layer of viscose in the form of a continuous sheet, web, or film isled off-the cylinder 5 around a hollow stripping-roller 13, which may ormay not be cooled in any convenient manner. The stripping-roller 13 iscarried in bearings in slide-blocks adjustable by means of screws 14.From the strippingroller 13 the film passes undera guide-roller 15, overa guide-roller 16 to a batching-roller 17, which is driven by a belt 18from a shaft 19. Brackets 20, whichcarry the batchingroller 17, arepivoted to the shaft 19, carried in bearings secured to a tank 21, sothat the roller 17 can be raised out of the tank by moving a handle22,'cast with one bracket,

and the brackets are maintained in position by a pawl 23, which engageswith a ratchetwheel 24, secured ing-roller 17 is mounted in the tank 21cc: tainingasaturated solution of boiling brinethat is to say, sodiumchlorid SOllitlOB-tlle object of this being to decompose thesolublecellulose sulfocarbonate or viscose and regenerate the insolublecellulose in the film form. The film, now cellulose, when batched issubsequently washed, preferably in an open Washing-machine of anysuitable type, to remove the brine and any by-products from thedecomposition of the viscose, and, if desired, may be subsequentlytreated with bleaching reagents or dyeing solutions, and is finallydried and rolled or otherwise made up in rolls or sheets of any desiredlength ready for use as required.

Beyond the stripping-roller 13 is mounted an adjustable stripping-blade25, the function of which is to clean the surface of the cylinder byremoving any viscose which may remain adhering to it, and behind theblade 25is mounted a piece of cloth26, one end of which is secured to abox-bracket 27, and theloose end of this cloth lies on the surface ofthe cylinder 5. On the top of the cloth and in the box-bracket 27 areplaced pieces of paraffin-wax-28 or other suitable substance,

to the shaft 19. The batchwhich slowly melts and passes through thecloth onto the surface of the cylinder, which it covers With a slightwaxed surface and so prevents the viscose adhering; too firmly to thecylinder.

The machine described above is the same as that forming thesubject-matter of an application for Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, Serial No. 722,330, filed June 29, 1899.

WVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. The method of producing cellulose films of any desired length by acontinuous operation which consists in supplying viscose in aslowlymoving evenly-distributed layer or film, heating. and drying saidfilm and subjecting it to the action of brine to decompose

